Autopneumatic music-playing instrument.



No. 852,752. PATENTED MAY '7, `1907.

` Eso, WHITE. AUTOPNBUMATIG MUSIC PLAYING INSTRUMENT.

APRLIOATION FILED GGT.29. 19Q6.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT-.OEEICE FRANK C. WHITE, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNoR To wILCox a WIIITE COMPANY, or MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION Or- CONNECTICUTj AUTQPNEUN-IATIC MUSIC;PLAYING INSTRUMENT.

No. 852,752. n I Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 7, 1907. Appiimion mea october ze, 1966. serial No. 341,054.

T @ff/f Wfl/07"' t may @0W/067%: nicates with the wind-way G. The usual Be it known that I, FRANK C. WHITE, a valve K may be'provided for the bellows B to 55 citizen of the United States, residing at Meripermit air to be exhausted therefrom on the den, county of New Haven, Connecticut, collapse of the bellows. Lis another valve, have invented certain new and useful Imwhich Covers the port leading into the windprovements in Autopneumatic Music-'Playway G. By means of these valves air is exing Instruments, of which the following is a liausted from the wind-chest 'or action A as 6o full, clear, and exact description. the bellows B is operated. The equalizer H My invention relates to improvements in performs the function usual to such appli- Io auto-pneumatic music playing instruments. ances.

In such devices there is what is ordinarily M is a throttle or check valve which stands is termed the wind-chest, in which a rethis throttle or check valve M does vI ipt unduced pressure is ordinarily maintained durduly obstruct the port J, but as the bellows ing the operation of the instrument. This B is optd it stards in such a position as reduced pressure is accomplished by means to permit airtobe drawn readily from the of a bellows actuated ordinarily by pedal. equalizebe'llqw H in the usual; manner. 7o Between this bellows, termed the feeder Should, hwever, a'quick impu'l'sefbe imand the wind-chest, is located an equalizer arted tothe bellows Bin a direction to exy 2o bellows, the pur ose of which is to equalize liaust the air, the throttle M will close down the pulsations o the feeder bellows so that on the port J so as to practicallyctt the the tension in the wind-chest will be substanequalizer bellows momentarily, wtle- 7 5 tiallyum'form. In such apparatus itvisdesult that the high tension produced in the j l sirable at times to produce in the wind-chest feeder bellows B will simultaneously bev pro- 3 25 a hi h de ee of tension for various ur oses, duced in the wind-chest A, and since this is Y Asucl'for example, as lncreasing tEe ower accomplished instantaneously it is possible l applied to the sounding devices. In t e orfor the operator in the rendering of a piece of So dinary type of instrument this increased tenmusic'to cause selected notes to be attacked sion in the wind-chest is effected by actuatwith greater vigor than `would normally ocing the feeder bellows more energetically, so cur when the equalizer is in full .action. that a high tension will be-attained after sev- This, as will be seenis of substantial advaneral strokes thereof. tage, because it' permits, without the aid of 85 nThe urpose of my invention is to provide any appliances for manual o eration other a sim e, effective and relinle means Wherethan the pedals themselves, t .e operator to 5 b tension may be produced instantlyin have a greater control of the instrument the wind-chest. .m than would otherwise be possible, and it will In the accompanying drawing I have in a even ermit the operator to readily bring 9o single ligure illustrated in section and diaout so o or melody notes in the rendering of grammatically those parts which are 'essencompositions Where such effects are desir- 40 tial to a clear understanding of my invenable Without the aid of any supplemental tion. apparatus. Y y y A is the wind-chest. A As shown in the drawings, the' checkvalve 95 vB is what is termed the feeder bellows, o r throttle M is merely suspended from which may be operated by a edal C, the latabove by a suitable hinge, so as to hang over i ter being suitably connecte with saidfbelthe port J. vThrough this check valve, in lows, as, for example, by a lever D and link -the particular form shown, is a bleed-hole Ej. A spring F moves the bellows B in op- M', one ormore of which may be provided.. roc

r, if'lfl'l'p'osition to the pedal C. In operation, when the operator starts to G is a wind-way leading from the interior exhaust air by means of the exhausters B, a of bellowsB to the wind-chest A. reduction in air pressure will occur in the II is an equalizer bellows normally ex-` wind-way G as well as in the equalizer belpanded b the action of a sprin -I. This; lowsH,-the latter being collapsed against the equalizer ellows has aportJ whic commuexpanding action of spring I. This will termed an action, usually located in what over lthe por Under normalkgqnctions 65 R -sure is caused -to drop in the wind-way G -gard the bleed-hole tapping into the equalthe wind-way between the Wind-chest and occur whether the valve M is against its seat or away from its seat. As soon as the presfrom any cause, the bellows H will tend to expand, unseating the valve M. While the operator is actuating the exhauster B with substantial uniformity, this valve M will remain unseated, so that the port J will be open to its full capacity and the tension will be equalized by the bellows H in the usual manner. If, however, an abnormal pressure is applied to the pedal C, so as to produce a momentary abnormal vacuum, the same will cause such asuction at the port J as to seat the valve M, momentarily practically cutting out the equalizing effect of the bellows H, whereupon it follows that the higher tension will cause the action pneumatics to operate with a relatively increased power, so as to sound any particular note or notes with greater vigor. By this simple means it is within the power of the operator at any time to emphasize any particular note or notes. One particular advantage of this'construction is that it permits the operator to vary what I may termthe normal tension, so long as the changes are effected gradually. At the same time, no'matter what the tension may be at any particular time, at such time it is within his power, by what would then be an abnormal pressure on the pedal, to cause particular notes to stand out above the others. It /should be understood that I reizer bellows H as the preferable way of constructing the apparatus to secure the desired effect. Y'

It is preferable, of course, to have the equalizer bellows in direct communication with the Wind-way, although this may not be essential in all cases.

What I claim is:

1. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a wind-chest or its equivalent, a feeder bellows for exhausting air therefrom, means for manually operating the latter, an equalizer or its equivalent, comprising a single valve for permitting the operator to instantly secure by the abnormal action of the feeder bellows a higher tension in the windchest than in the equalizer.

2. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a wind-chest, a feeder bellows, a wind-way, an equalizer communicating with the wind-way between said wind-chest and feeder bellows, automatic means comprising a check valve controlled by an abnormal operation of the feeder bellows for practically nullifying the effect-of said equalizer, and a bleed-hole tapping into said equalizer.

3. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a wind-chest, a feeder bellows, a wind-way, an equalizer communicating with im', '-r

feeder bellows, and means controlled by an abnormal operation of the feeder bellows for practically nullifying the-efl'ect of said equalizer, said means comprising a check valve for the passage leading from the wind-way to the equalizer, said valve having a bleed-hole therein registering with said passage.

4. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, an action or wind-chest, a feeder bellows in communication therewith, means for normally equalizing the degree of exhaustion in the wind-chest when the feeder bellows is operating normally, and comprising a single valve controlled by the abnormal action of the feeder bellows for practically nullifying the action of the equalizer.

5. In an auto-pneumatic music playing ins'trument, an action chest or main exhaust chamber, a'feeder or exhaust bellows, a passage leading directly from said exhaust bellows to said exhaust chamber, an equalizer bellows for securing a normal tension in said exhaustl chamber, said bellows tapping into the passage leading from the exhaust bellows to the main exhaust chamber but not constituting a part thereof, a check valve for said passage, and a bleed hole or vent for said equalizer.

6. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a wind-chest, a feeder bellows, a wind-way between the wind-chest and the feeder bellows, an equalizer bellows in communication with the wind-way, means to yieldingly distend the equalizer bellows, and a single valve for permitting the operator to secure, by an abnormal operation of the feeder bellows, a higher degree of tension in the wind-chest than in' said equalizer, said valve having a vent therein comlnunicating with the passage which said valve is adapted to close and of smaller area than said passage.

7. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a wind-chest, a feeder bellows, a wind-way, an equalizer in communication with the wind-way, automatic means comprising a check valve controlled by an abnormal operation of the feeder bellows for practically nullifying the effect of the equalizer, and a vent or bleed hole tapping into said equalizer.

8. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a wind-chest, a feeder bellows, a wind-way, an equalizer communicating with the wind-way, means controlled by the abnormal operation of the'feeder bellows for practically nullifying the effect of said equalizer, said means comprising a check valve for the passage leading to the equalizer, and a bleed hole or vent through said valve and registering with said passage.

FRANK C. WHITE. Witnesses:

R. C. MITCHELL, L. VREELAND.

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